Abstract

This review article tries to summarize investigation about natural products with the ability to inhibit enzymes that play a crucial role in DNA metabolism such as replication, transcription, recombination, and chromosome segregation during mitosis. The focus is placed on DNA polymerases, topoisomerases and reverse transcriptase inhibitors because the vast of literature emphasized on the action of these compounds. It was found that a great diversity of chemical structures encompassing triterpenes, flavonoids, chromones, lipids, iridoids, phytosterols, coumarins, anthracyclines, quinones, protoberberines, tannins and other natural products, are produced by organism species.

Keywords: DNA polymerases, topoisomerases, reverse transcriptase, natural products, inhibitors